"I think I'm not the only one here who thinks my brothers looks like shit" Xanthis said as he lowered himself onto a chair in Dre's office. They had just finished having a board meeting and Xanthis was about to begin his ranting. Valentino gave him a dry look, his lips pursed.
"Come on, Dmitri....Tell them how horrible they look. Have you guys been getting any sleep at all? What's wrong?" He pressed further.
"He's right, though. You guys look horrible" Dmitri said, giving Dre a pointed look.
"I've just been a lot stressed up lately, that's all" Dre said.
"I'm not buying that, Dre. You know I'm not satisfied with that answer" Xanthis said and he glared at him.
"It's none of your business" Dre droned.
"Woah, someone is PMSing" Xanthis whistled and Dre sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Have you seen Dominic yet? He has a nagging pregnant wife, yet he doesn't look as horrible as you do. So, tell me. Is this about Ellise? What did you do to her?"
Dre groaned, leaning back on his chair.
"Oh, it's her. Isn't it?" Dmitri said and he let out another long sigh.
"Stop doing that. It's starting to get annoying" Xanthis frowned.
"Doing what?" Dre asked.
"Ignoring us and sighing" Xanthis said, glaring at his brother.
"It's of no use, Xan. It's not like you can do anything about it" Dre said, rising to his feet. He left the office with Xanthis and Dmitri following behind him.
"Seriously? You're still avoiding me!" Xanthis said, stopping Dre from moving.
"Ellise and I had a fight, okay? That's all. I'm just terrified because she looked so upset and I'm trying to think of ways to pacify her. So, can you just give me some time alone?" Dre said. Xanthis' gaze softened.
"I understand but seriously, you should take care of yourself. You're well on your way to looking like a freaking zombie" He said and Dre gave him a bitter smile.
"You're right, I guess"
"I'll see you later" he said and walked away.
"Do you think I believe that story you just made up?" Dmitri said from behind Dre, eliciting a groan of annoyance from him.
....
Dre and Ellise had gone back to ignoring each other. Ellise was annoyed about the fact that he hadn't apologized to her yet. She presumed that she was fighting for a husband who wasn't ready to fight for her. He was always with Nadine and it was getting unbearable to see them together. Despite all the doubts, Ellise didn't want to give up just like that. She didn't want to give Nadine the satisfaction of winning.
So, she decided to focus on her work at the hospital, putting on fake smiles when she was hurting inside.
"There's a patient in there. A 24 year old male. Definitely caught a cold but his fever is high and rising. You should go and attend to him. See if it's actually an infection or just the cold acting up" Dr. Martins said, handing Ellise a medical report. She nodded and entered the ward with a stethoscope hanging around her neck. She was certainly not expecting to see Elvis Reis.
He hadn't noticed her because his eyes were closed. He was pale and a bit sweaty.
Biting her lip, she moved closer to his bedside.
"Hey" she said to get his attention.
His eyes fell open, revealing his bright blue eyes. Ellise was a bit startled by his action. His eyes seemed to have a hypnotic effect.
"Hey" he breathed.
"I didn't know you worked here" he said, his lips curving into a smile. She smiled.
"Yeah.... I didn't expect to see you here too. How are you feeling?" She asked.
He smiled weakly.
"I've had better days. I don't think it's anything serious. I caught a cold and wasn't getting better. My wife brought me here because she was scared" he said.
"You can't blame us women for being so panicky especially when we don't know what to do" she said as she recorded his temperature and pulse rate.
"Well, what I didn't expect is to get treated by a beautiful nurse" he said and she gave him another smile.
"Aren't you such a charmer?"
He grinned and closed his eyes.
"My head is pounding too and I feel really weak" he said.
She nodded, taking notes.
"Well, it's actually just a cold. But I have some questions for you" she said.
"When did you start feeling sick?" She asked.
"Um- three days ago" he said.
"Did you start feeling better on the second day?"
He gave her a puzzled look, then his gaze shifted... like he realized what she was trying to know.
"Well- I was feeling better.... and I had to go to the office..."
"There you go. You were supposed to be resting, for goodness sake. Don't be so careless about your health, Elvis" she said.
"Oh well, it's my fault then" he sighed.
"You stressed yourself out while you weren't fully recovered. All you need is a nice rest and a little medication. You'll be as good as new" she said.
He smiled.
"Thanks, Ellise"
....
"Your husband won't mind you having lunch with me?" Elvis said, raising a brow.
Ellise scoffed, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"It's not like he cares anyway" she said. After Elvis had fully recovered, he'd contacted Ellise and had asked her out on a friendly date. They were both sitting in a restaurant, an awkward silence suddenly resting on them.
Elvis reached out to squeeze Ellise's hand gently.
"You're still having a fight with your husband" he stated and she nodded.
"Want to talk about it?" He asked.
She sighed.
"He's no longer paying attention to me. All he's concerned about is that useless woman who is probably carrying his child" she said, furiously digging into her food. "Oh, it's that bad. I'm so sorry about that, El" he said.
"Yeah....it just sucks" she mumbled.
"Have you tried to talk to him?" He asked.
"No, not with that bitch always interrupting us" she scoffed.
He smirked.
"Then have you tried the sinister method?" He asked.
She blinked.
"Sinister what?"
"Well- I can help you with that"
"You're kidding me, aren't you?"
"No, I'm serious"
"Okay. What do I do?" She asked.
He looked around for signs of being monitored before leaning over the table to whisper in her ear. A slow grin appeared on her lips as she listened to him.
...
Ellise smiled, nearly jumping around in triumph as she watched Nadine doze off on the sofa. Apparently, Elvis' suggestion did pay off.
He'd asked her to sedate Nadia by spiking her drink. He'd also made sure that the drug wasn't going to harm her or the baby.
Now, Ellise was relieved that she could talk to her husband without having to worry about Nadine. She got dressed in a short red dress and light make up. Grinning at her image in the mirror, she went straight to Dre's study. He was standing by the window when she walked in. His eyes went wide as he took in her appearance.
"Ellise-" he said.
"Sh" she whispered, pressing her fingers to his lips.
"We can talk now" she said, placing a hand on his chest.
"Nadine-"
"She's asleep"
He sighed.
"Ellise..... she's going to kill both your parents and everyone related to us. I had to play along. I don't love her, you know that. I love only you. She asked me not to tell you but I can't bear it any longer. You have to trust me, Ellise..." he said, gazing into her eyes.
She smiled, her love for him waxing stronger.
"You're mine. Mine only" she whispered.
"I am yours. Only yours" he replied. She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
"I missed you so much" he breathed.
"I'm yours, Dre. Take me" she whispered in his ear.
His eyes widened.
"Are you sure?"
She nodded and he swept her off her feet.
Ellise smiled to herself as Dre opened the door to their bedroom and shut it behind them. A smile curved Dre's lips as he unzipped her dress, revealing her fair skin and mouthwatering curves.
"Dre..." Ellise rasped as he pressed kisses on her satin skin. Her eyes fluttered close as his lips traced the map of her skin, passionately.
"Do you trust me?" Dre rasped and she nodded, her eyes hooded.
"Yes, yes I do" she breathed, her voice, a soft caress to his senses.